All Discussions Tagged 'Exoplanets' - Atheist Nexus2018-03-19T13:45:54Zhttp://atheistnexus.org/group/originsuniverselifehumankindanddarwin/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=Exoplanets&feed=yes&xn_auth=noScientists Say Billions of Exoplanets in Habitable Zones in Our Galaxy Alonetag:atheistnexus.org,2015-03-19:2182797:Topic:25832372015-03-19T14:49:03.258ZJohn Jubinskyhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/JohnJubinsky
<p>Scientists are supposed to have extrapolated that in the Milky Way alone there are billions of exoplanets (planets outside of our solar system) that exist in habitable zones (in temperatures where liquid water is sustainable). The implication, of course, is that in our galaxy alone there are billions of exoplanets that might support life. Per the article: </p>
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<p><em>....By analysing these planetary systems, researchers from the Australian National University and the Niels Bohr…</em></p>
<p>Scientists are supposed to have extrapolated that in the Milky Way alone there are billions of exoplanets (planets outside of our solar system) that exist in habitable zones (in temperatures where liquid water is sustainable). The implication, of course, is that in our galaxy alone there are billions of exoplanets that might support life. Per the article: </p>
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<p><em>....By analysing these planetary systems, researchers from the Australian National University and the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen have calculated the probability for the number of stars in the Milky Way that might have planets in the habitable zone. The calculations show that billions of the stars in the Milky Way will have one to three planets in the habitable zone, where there is the potential for liquid water and where life could exist....The results are published in the scientific journal, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.</em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150318074515.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150318074515.htm</a></p> Some Exoplanets Formed at Least 11.2 Billion Years Agotag:atheistnexus.org,2015-01-28:2182797:Topic:25409302015-01-28T07:48:42.519ZJohn Jubinskyhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/JohnJubinsky
<p>The space telescope, <em>Kepler</em>, has discovered exoplanets that formed 11.2 billion years ago. To put this into perspective the universe formed 13.75 billion years ago and the earth formed 4.7 billion years ago. Although the exoplanets are rocky like the earth they are too hot to support life. However, the fact that it was possible for exoplanets to form this long ago means that there might be some in the universe with life on them that has had 5 or 6 billion years longer than us…</p>
<p>The space telescope, <em>Kepler</em>, has discovered exoplanets that formed 11.2 billion years ago. To put this into perspective the universe formed 13.75 billion years ago and the earth formed 4.7 billion years ago. Although the exoplanets are rocky like the earth they are too hot to support life. However, the fact that it was possible for exoplanets to form this long ago means that there might be some in the universe with life on them that has had 5 or 6 billion years longer than us to have evolved. If such life exists the probability is high that it would have extremely advanced technology (because of the tremendous amount of time it would have had to develop it). There are 100 billion exoplanets in the Milky Way alone so there are an unfathomable number of exoplanets in the universe. Therefore, it is well within reason that life far more advanced than ours exists in many places of the universe and might exist in the Milky Way itself. Per the article:</p>
<p><em> ....if rocky planets formed 11.2 billion years ago around other stars, could there be a few that did have just the right conditions for life to be sparked? If so, could alien life have already come and gone in our galaxy’s history? Or could this ancient life be persisting for, potentially, 10 billion years after it first formed?,,,,</em></p>
<p><a href="http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/kepler-discovers-solar-systems-ancient-twin-150127.htm">http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/kepler-discovers-solar-systems-ancient-twin-150127.htm</a></p> Eight More Exoplanets that Might Sustain Life are Discoveredtag:atheistnexus.org,2015-01-15:2182797:Topic:25328452015-01-15T22:28:50.704ZJohn Jubinskyhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/JohnJubinsky
<p>Eight more exoplanets (planets outside of our solar system) that might sustain life have been discovered from Kepler telescope data. That is, the probability is high that liquid water would be accommodated on their surfaces. Per the article:</p>
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<p><em>Astronomers announced today that they have found eight new planets in the 'Goldilocks' zone of their stars, orbiting at a distance where liquid water can exist on the planet's surface. This doubles the number of small planets…</em></p>
<p>Eight more exoplanets (planets outside of our solar system) that might sustain life have been discovered from Kepler telescope data. That is, the probability is high that liquid water would be accommodated on their surfaces. Per the article:</p>
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<p><em>Astronomers announced today that they have found eight new planets in the 'Goldilocks' zone of their stars, orbiting at a distance where liquid water can exist on the planet's surface. This doubles the number of small planets (less than twice the diameter of Earth) believed to be in the habitable zone of their parent stars. Among these eight, the team identified two that are the most similar to Earth of any known exoplanets to date....With a diameter just 12 percent bigger than Earth, Kepler-438b has a 70-percent chance of being rocky, according to the team's calculations. Kepler-442b is about one-third larger than Earth, but still has a 60-percent chance of being rocky.... Kepler-438b is located 470 light-years from Earth while the more distant Kepler-442b is 1,100 light-years away.</em></p>
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<p><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150106134633.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150106134633.htm</a></p> New Exoplanet Hunting Technology Actually Sees and Analyzes Exoplanetstag:atheistnexus.org,2014-01-07:2182797:Topic:23621642014-01-07T20:36:18.129ZJohn Jubinskyhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/JohnJubinsky
<p>Until now the discovery of most exoplanets has been by detecting indirect evidence of them. Now there is technology that can actually see them and analyze much of their atmospheres and temperatures. Per the article:</p>
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<p><em>The sophisticated car-sized instrument, called the <a href="http://planetimager.org/">Gemini Planet Imager (GPI)</a>, is attached to the 8-meter Gemini South telescope in Chile and represents a new era in exoplanetary discovery. The GPI, which has been in…</em></p>
<p>Until now the discovery of most exoplanets has been by detecting indirect evidence of them. Now there is technology that can actually see them and analyze much of their atmospheres and temperatures. Per the article:</p>
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<p><em>The sophisticated car-sized instrument, called the <a href="http://planetimager.org/">Gemini Planet Imager (GPI)</a>, is attached to the 8-meter Gemini South telescope in Chile and represents a new era in exoplanetary discovery. The GPI, which has been in development since 2003, is capable of not only resolving the dim light from an exoplanet orbiting close to its parent star; it can also analyze the planet’s atmospheric composition and temperature....“Most planets that we know about to date are only known because of indirect methods that tell us a planet is there, a bit about its orbit and mass, but not much else,” said Bruce Macintosh of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, who led the team that developed GPI. “With GPI we directly image planets around stars -- it’s a bit like being able to dissect the system and really dive into the planet’s atmospheric makeup and characteristics.”</em></p>
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<p><a href="http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/new-exoplanet-hunter-directly-images-alien-world-140106.htm">http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/new-exoplanet-hunter-directly-images-alien-world-140106.htm</a></p> Scientists Say 8.8 Billion Planets Like Earth in Milky Waytag:atheistnexus.org,2013-11-05:2182797:Topic:23255512013-11-05T01:14:14.007ZJohn Jubinskyhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/JohnJubinsky
<p>Astronomers using data collected by the Kepler telescope have extrapolated that there are about 8.8 billion planets like earth circling stars like the sun at habitable distances in our galaxy. They have estimated that there are more than 30 billion additional planets in our galaxy in habitable zones circling stars that are not like our sun. They speculate that the nearest earth-like planet may be only 12 light years away! Per the article:</p>
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<p><em>There are likely "tens of…</em></p>
<p>Astronomers using data collected by the Kepler telescope have extrapolated that there are about 8.8 billion planets like earth circling stars like the sun at habitable distances in our galaxy. They have estimated that there are more than 30 billion additional planets in our galaxy in habitable zones circling stars that are not like our sun. They speculate that the nearest earth-like planet may be only 12 light years away! Per the article:</p>
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<p><em>There are likely "tens of billions" of Earth-like planets in our Milky Way galaxy, according to a study released Monday by astronomers from the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Hawaii. "Planets like our Earth are relatively common throughout the Milky Way galaxy," said astronomer Andrew Howard of the University of Hawaii, who estimates the number at about 40 billion.</em></p>
<p><em>In fact, <strong>the nearest Earth-like planet may be "only" 12 light years away</strong>, which is roughly 72 trillion miles.</em></p>
<p><em>In all, about 8.8 billion stars in our galaxy have planets that are nearly the size of Earth and also have a surface temperature conducive to the development of life. But many more stars (those not similar to our sun) also have planets where life could form, which is where the 40 billion-planet figure comes from....The study was published online Monday in the <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</i> using data from the Kepler telescope.</em></p>
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<p>(Bold added to emphasize the implications!)</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/04/earth-like-planets-milky-way-galaxy/3433449/">http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/04/earth-like-planets-milky-way-galaxy/3433449/</a> </p> Kepler Telescope Damaged Beyond Repairtag:atheistnexus.org,2013-08-16:2182797:Topic:22872772013-08-16T20:30:46.050ZJohn Jubinskyhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/JohnJubinsky
<p>The Kepler telescope launched into space in 2009 is in disrepair beyond correction. Its purpose was to discover planets outside of our solar system and especially any that might sustain life. Its aiming mechanism is jammed and NASA says it cannot be fixed. NASA is hoping to find other uses for it. Per the article:</p>
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<p><em>Kepler has four reaction wheels, but lost use of one of them in July 2012, leaving it with no spare. A second wheel failed in May. Engineers have been testing…</em></p>
<p>The Kepler telescope launched into space in 2009 is in disrepair beyond correction. Its purpose was to discover planets outside of our solar system and especially any that might sustain life. Its aiming mechanism is jammed and NASA says it cannot be fixed. NASA is hoping to find other uses for it. Per the article:</p>
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<p><em>Kepler has four reaction wheels, but lost use of one of them in July 2012, leaving it with no spare. A second wheel failed in May. Engineers have been testing the spacecraft to see if either broken wheel can be unjammed, but to no avail. NASA announced on Thursday it was calling off those efforts.</em></p>
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<p>Kepler has been lost as a planet searcher but not until after we were able to estimate that there are billions of planets outside of our solar system. </p>
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<p><a href="http://news.discovery.com/space/kepler-kaput-nasa-looking-for-alternative-missions-130815.htm">http://news.discovery.com/space/kepler-kaput-nasa-looking-for-alternative-missions-130815.htm</a> </p> Scientists Say 100 Billion Exoplanets in Our Galaxy Alonetag:atheistnexus.org,2013-01-04:2182797:Topic:21366612013-01-04T22:42:49.363ZJohn Jubinskyhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/JohnJubinsky
<p>Projecting from data attained by the Kepler telescope scientists from Caltech have estimated that there are 100 billion exoplanets in our galaxy alone. Per the article:</p>
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<p><em>The scientists analyzed Kepler-32's structure, compared it with other planetary systems discovered by NASA's Kepler space telescope and sat down to do some math. The result: an estimate that the Milky Way is home to at least 100 billion planets....Interestingly,…</em></p>
<p>Projecting from data attained by the Kepler telescope scientists from Caltech have estimated that there are 100 billion exoplanets in our galaxy alone. Per the article:</p>
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<p><em>The scientists analyzed Kepler-32's structure, compared it with other planetary systems discovered by NASA's Kepler space telescope and sat down to do some math. The result: an estimate that the Milky Way is home to at least 100 billion planets....Interestingly, <a href="http://news.discovery.com/space/milky-way-stuffed-with-100-billion-alien-worlds-120110.html" target="_self">another team of astronomers</a> last January came up with the same estimate using a different database and different technique. What spurred that team's work was an original estimate by Kepler scientists in 2010 that the Milky Way had at least 50 billion planets.</em></p>
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<p><a href="http://news.discovery.com/space/new-survey-finds-100-billion-planets-in-milky-way-130104.html">http://news.discovery.com/space/new-survey-finds-100-billion-planets-in-milky-way-130104.html</a></p> 100 Billion Planets in Our Galaxytag:atheistnexus.org,2012-01-11:2182797:Topic:18196212012-01-11T21:54:53.743ZJohn Jubinskyhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/JohnJubinsky
<p>Last year using a somewhat restrictive method of detecting exoplanets (planets outside of our solar system) scientists estimated that there were 50 billion in our galaxy. Using a more sensitive method they have just estimated that there are 100 billion. Moreover, per the article:</p>
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<p><em>From this analysis, the PLANET team made a rough estimate of 100 billion exoplanets living in our galaxy. Additionally, they found that one-in-six stars host a Jupiter-mass exoplanet, half the…</em></p>
<p>Last year using a somewhat restrictive method of detecting exoplanets (planets outside of our solar system) scientists estimated that there were 50 billion in our galaxy. Using a more sensitive method they have just estimated that there are 100 billion. Moreover, per the article:</p>
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<p><em>From this analysis, the PLANET team made a rough estimate of 100 billion exoplanets living in our galaxy. Additionally, they found that one-in-six stars host a Jupiter-mass exoplanet, half the stars in the Milky Way have Neptune-mass exoplanets and two-thirds of the stars have Earth-mass worlds. </em><em>Interestingly, this result points to least 1,500 exoplanets within 50 light-years from the solar system.</em></p>
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<p>The findings are to be published in the January 12, 2012 issue of the journal, <em>Nature</em>.</p>
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<p><a href="http://news.discovery.com/space/milky-way-stuffed-with-100-billion-alien-worlds-120110.html">http://news.discovery.com/space/milky-way-stuffed-with-100-billion-alien-worlds-120110.html</a> </p> 500 Million Possible Life Supporting Exoplanets In Milky Waytag:atheistnexus.org,2011-02-22:2182797:Topic:11334782011-02-22T22:52:20.216ZJohn Jubinskyhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/JohnJubinsky
Kepler is an outer space telescope launched in 2009 that orbits the sun between Mars and Earth. It has been looking for exoplanets since that time which are planets that are outside our own solar system. As of February, 2011 Kepler had detected evidence of 1,235 such planets and more than 50 of these suspected exoplanets were considered to be in so called 'Goldilocks' zones. That is, located in manners that provide for their not being too hot nor too cold for life to exist on them. Based on…
Kepler is an outer space telescope launched in 2009 that orbits the sun between Mars and Earth. It has been looking for exoplanets since that time which are planets that are outside our own solar system. As of February, 2011 Kepler had detected evidence of 1,235 such planets and more than 50 of these suspected exoplanets were considered to be in so called 'Goldilocks' zones. That is, located in manners that provide for their not being too hot nor too cold for life to exist on them. Based on this and other sample information that has been acquired so far scientists have extrapolated that there may be 50 billion exoplanets in the Milky Way of which 500 million may be capable of supporting life. The announcement was made on Saturday by Kepler science chief William Borucki at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington D.C.<br/>
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<a href="http://news.discovery.com/space/milky-way-stuffed-with-50-billion-alien-worlds.html">http://news.discovery.com/space/milky-way-stuffed-with-50-billion-alien-worlds.html</a> Over 50 More Potentially Life Supporting Planets Suspectedtag:atheistnexus.org,2011-02-03:2182797:Topic:11023912011-02-03T21:53:05.004ZJohn Jubinskyhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/JohnJubinsky
Kepler is an outer space telescope launched in 2009 that orbits the sun between Mars and Earth. It has been looking for exoplanets since that time which are planets that are outside our own solar system. This past Wednesday some of the results were announced. That is, it was revealed that Kepler had detected evidence of 1,235 such planets as opposed to only 519 that had been suspected beforehand. More than 50 of the suspected new ones are considered to be in so called 'Goldilocks' zones. That…
Kepler is an outer space telescope launched in 2009 that orbits the sun between Mars and Earth. It has been looking for exoplanets since that time which are planets that are outside our own solar system. This past Wednesday some of the results were announced. That is, it was revealed that Kepler had detected evidence of 1,235 such planets as opposed to only 519 that had been suspected beforehand. More than 50 of the suspected new ones are considered to be in so called 'Goldilocks' zones. That is, located in manners that provide for their not being too hot nor too cold for life to exist on them. Some of the findings have been published in the journal, Nature and others were announced by NASA.<br/>
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<a href="http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-nasa-planets-plenty-solar.html">http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-nasa-planets-plenty-solar.html</a>